"Antonio & Shylock: Monsters"

Shakespearean Bigotry Goes on Trial in New Drama "Antonio & Shylock: Monsters"

Riveting performer Dikran Tulaine ("G.I. Joe: Retaliation") stars in this one-hour adaptation of one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays. Scholars throughout the centuries have fiercely debated Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" due to its anti-Semitic portrayal of the villainous Shylock and the ambiguous sexual preference of Antonio, who's willing to trade a pound of his own flesh to the money lender to save his friend Bassanio. As the deal for Antonio's flesh unfolds in "Antonio & Shylock: Monsters" and the trial ensues, the actors -- performing in the round, some even situated in the audience -- zoom in on the drama's anti-Jewish bigotry, reinforcing the timeless relevancy of this centuries-old tale with crackling new urgency.